of any sort experienced was due to the tar on the decks of the lighters : inthe hot sun this was partly melted and care was necessary to avoid carrying tar
on the soles of shoes on to the flying-boat, further, any petrol getting on to thedeck—due to spillage or leaky tins—dissolved the tar which ran down into
the sea and stained the white hull of the flying-boat ; the stain was difficultto remove. The Flight remained for the next four days at Batavia.
Rear-Admiral A. ten Broecke Hoekstra (the C.-in-C. of the Dutch NavalForces in the East Indies) and Commander Olivier of his staff went for a
35-min. local flight in S. 1149. On Tuesday, the Dutch cruiser Java mooredin the harbour close to the Flight, and remained there till after the Flight left ;
she carried two Brandenburg seaplanes amidships, and these were hoisted outby derricks for practice flying.
Friday, September 14. Batavia—Kiabat Bay. 275 miles. (3 his.30 mins. • 79 knots.)—Moorings were slipped at 05.SO, the weather bring fine
with a slight haze, 0-4 clouded, wind S.S.E. 2 knots, and slight swell. TheFlight took off in succession at 06.00 in an average of 40 sees., each boat
carrying 380 galls, of fuel, and left for Klabat Bay, escorted for the firstpart of the flight by a Dornier Wai. The route followed was to First Point,
Sumatra, thence to'the mouth of the Jering River and direct to Klabat Baywhere the Flight landed in formation at 09.30, and secured to the buoys
there.
The weather during the flight was fine with occasional clouds at 1,500 ft.to 3,000 ft. ; the height of the Flight was about 1,000 ft. till near Banka
Island, and then 3.000 ft. for crossing the land ; the wind was S.E. about
JANUARY 24, 1929
10 knots, when the Flight was at 1.000 ft., and about 15 knots at 3,000 ft.The sea was slight to moderate.
Saturday, September 15. Klabat Bay to Singapore. 235 miles.(3 hrs. ; 78 knots.)—Moorings were slipped at 06.40, the weather being fine,
sky 0-2 clouded, sea calm and wind S.E., 5 knots. After warming enginesand 5 mins. delay for tightening a magneto in the port engine of S. 1149, the
Flight took off in formation at (16.55 in 30 sees., each boat carrying 300 galls,of fuel, and left for Singapore. The course followed was to Tg Jane, across the
equator to Kentar Light and thence between Bulan Island and Pulo Batamto Singapore. The weather was fine with a S.S.E. wind of 15 knots and a
moderate sea for the first hour, the wind then changed to the west and thesky became overcast with low clouds and poor visibility. From 08.45 to
09^30 there was a S.W. wind of about 15 knots, and many heavy rainstormswere seen, the worst ol these were avoided by small alterations of course, the
weather then cleared. After circling Singapore Town the Flight landed information on the Johore Strait off the site for the seaplane base at 09.55.
S. 1152 taxied in and was brought ashore on her launching chassis at once, theremainder of the Flight secured to moorings temporarily and were brought
ashore in turn. The Flight was met by the A.D.C. to H.E., The Officer Ad-ministrating the Government, H.E. The General Officer Commanding (Maj.-
Gen. Sir C. C. van Straubenzee) and Senior Naval Officer (Capt. Mackworth).On September 19, a cable was received from the Secretary of State for
Air (Sir Samuel Hoare) congratulating the Flight on the cruise, and a replythanking him was sent.
PIONEERS GETTING TOGETHER
IT has now become permissible to refer in detail to the recent
transaction whereby two of the pioneers of the British aircraft
industry have joined a third, and in so doing have produced
a combination which should play an important part in the
future history of British aviation. Mr. A. V. Roe and his asso-
ciate of many years, Mr. John Lord, have become interested
in the old-established firm of S. E. Saunders, Ltd., of Cowes,
and a reorganisation has taken place which should give the
undoubted talents of all concerned full scope, to the mutual
benefit of the firm and of British aviation in general.
Many of the " home " readers of FLIGHT will doubtless be
familiar with the past achievements of most of the people
concerned in the constitution of the new alliance, but for the
benefit of our many readers abroad, and in the various
parts of the Empire it is thought that a few explanatory
notes may not be without interest.
The firm of S. E. Saunders, Ltd., is an old and honoured
one in England. If we point out that it will be able to
celebrate its centenary next year, there will be no need to
stress the point further. The original business of the firm
(which is still carried out) was boat building, and it may be
pointed out that S. E. Saunders, Ltd., is one of the two
firms which build the lifeboats for the Royal National Life-
boat Institution. For many years also S. E. Saunders has
been prominent in the production of high-speed motor craft,
of which a number of successful types have been turned
out. As an instance of the standing of the firm, one may quote
the fact that Mr. Saunders holds the Royal Warrant. It
was, perhaps, natural that with his experience of surface
craft Mr. Saunders should early become interested in marine
types of aircraft, and it may be recalled that he built one
of the first, if not the very first, flying-boat hull to be pro-
duced. An early success was the hull of the Sop with " Bat
Boat," with which the late Mr. Hawker won the Mortimer
Singer Prize in 1913. This machine was an amphibian,
and must have been the first machine of this type to be
produced in England. The works at Cowes have continued to
produce aircraft on and off ever since, and all those of original
design have been marine aircraft, so that the fact that under
the new arrangement this type will form the main object of
the firm's aircraft activities, will be in keeping with the
traditions of the company.
As now constituted the firm of S. E. Saunders, Ltd., will
have as president Mr. S. E. Saunders, while Mr. A. V. Roe
and Mr. John Lord will be joint managing directors, Mr. Roe
looking after the design and technical side, and Mr. Lord
after the commercial. General manager and a director will
be Mr. H. E. Broadsmith, and on the board of directors
will also be Mr. H. S. Saunders and Captain D. Nicolson.
The chief designer will be Mr. H. Knowler, who has been
in charge of the Saunders' design staff for a considerable
period.
Mr. A. V. ROE, as all the world knows, is one of the
earliest pioneers of British aviation. Unlike many of the
pioneers of other countries, he has not only maintained
his keen interest in aviation, but what is, perhaps, even more
remarkable, he has retained all the youthful enthusiasm which
marked his earlier career, and has kept up to date in his
ideas and views. Those who know him well are aware that
" A.V." has for quite a long time been wishing to test out
certain ideas of his own on the subject of flying-boats, and
it is to be hoped that he will now have the opportunity.
MR. JOHN LORD has frequently been described as " the
most popular man in aviation," and certainly he has hosts
of friends in the aviation fraternity, not only of Great Britain,
but in nearly all the countries of the world. His association
with " A.V." dates back to the earliest days of Roe's aero-
nautical career, and with Mr. Roe he formed the first limited
company towards the end of 1912. The association of these
two has never been interrupted since, and it is good news that
it is to continue in the future. As Mr. Lord will look after
the company's commercial affairs, he will come in contact
with many of his old friends, and will, we feel sure, make
many new friends.
MR. H. E. BROADSMITH, who will be a director and
general manager of the company, served his apprenticeship
at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Works, and later
learned marine engineering at Esplen & Sons, of Liverpool.
In 1912 he joined the drawing office of A. V. Roe and Co.,
and in course of time transferred to the works side, becoming
first assistant works manager and later works manager. In
1919 Mr. Broadsmith went to Australia, and there built a
number of machines as well as carrying out for the Australian
Commonwealth Government an investigation relating to the
suitability for aircraft construction of Australian timbers.
Mr. Broadsmith has also designed several types of aircraft,
so that he is thoroughly familiar with the design as well as
the shops side of aircraft production. In Australia he designed
and built successful light 'planes, while after his return to
England in 1925 he was assistant designer at the Avro works
at Hamble.
CAPT. DAVID NICOLSON was trained as a naval
architect and marine engineer. During the War he went to
France with the Highland Light Infantry, was wounded,
and ultimately returned to England in 1915 and joined the
R.N.A.S. At Felixstowe he worked under Commander Porte
on flying-boats, and after a time was sent to London head-
quarters, where he started with the production and inspection
of flying-boats. Early in 1918 Capt. Nicolson was sent to
Northern Area Headquarters, still in charge of production and
inspection of flying-boats, and at the end of the War he
returned to the Air Ministry as chief production officer in
charge of flying-boats and seaplanes, and also took over
costing He left the Air Ministry in 1923 and joined the
board of S. E. Saunders, Ltd.
Under the new arrangement, the firm will carry on, develop
and extend its present business, which, as already mentioned,
includes, in addition to aircraft design and construction,
boat and yacht building, the production of high-speed motor
boats both for sport and for use in connection with the
operation of flying-boat passenger services. The famous
sewn plywood known as " Consuta " is another branch of
the firm's activities which promises to develop, but all forms
of ply construction, with such diverse materials as metal,
cork and wood, are undertaken.
S. E. Saunders, Ltd., produce, in addition to craft of all
kinds, their own small auxiliary engines, and, although not
primarily intended for work in connection with marine
aircraft, doubtless many uses could be found for them in this
connection.
On the aircraft side, which interests us most, it may be
stated that the policy of the firm will direct its efforts mainly
to the marine side, which will include not only the aircraft
themselves, but also surface craft used in connection with
servicing the aircraft. It should be recollected that the
firm has not only a seaplane base, but also an aerodrome on
the Isle of Wight, so that as occasion arises, there is no
reason why landplanes should not be catered for also.
66